Books that Conquered the Sequel Slump

Sequels: equally the most loved and hated by book lovers everywhere. Sometimes they are a fantastic, mindblowing addition, and sometimes it'd be better off if they weren't ever made. Today I thought I would look through some of my favorite sequels and share them with you all, so below I present to you just a few of the sequel that I felt were just as good - if not better! - than the first book. (And in the next month or so I plan to feature some of my least favorites... so stay tuned!)

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss: I loved The Name of the Wind and I thought that the sequel, The Wise Man's Fear, continued on this trilogy beautifully! I am still patiently awaiting the third installment, though I don't mind when authors take their time with a series -- I'd rather the book be exactly what they want it to be than rushed to a finish because fans are breathing down their necks.

The Sandman Vol. 2: Technically this came out as a comic initially, but since I read the Sandman graphic novels as individual volumes, I have to say that volume two was even more exciting than the first one, Preludes and Nocturnes. The Sandman series was the first graphic novel series I ever read, and to this day it remains my favorite; it is incredibly inventive and impossible to put down.

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson: I'm not quite if this one needs an explanation! Sanderson is a master at world-building and character-development, and his expansion on his world and the plot of this series was astounding. I can't wait for Oathbringer (#3) this fall!

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: I love these characters. ❤  I love the dynamics, the story, everything. Crooked Kingdom was such a fantastic addition. As much as I would love to have more in this world, I am incredibly satisfied with this duology. Review.

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab: So I liked A Darker Shade of Magic, but I wasn't quite on board. I didn't like Lilah that much in the first book - I actually found her quite annoying - but the second book is when I fell in love. The characters became stronger, the world became more wide-ranging and complex, and the magic system flourished. Definitely stick around for book two. Review. 

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray: The Diviners was fantastic, Lair of Dreams was also fantastic. That's all I have to say. (Also, the third book is coming this fall!)

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas: I really loved ACOTAR when I first read it. I had been going throw a pretty rough patch in my life and it really helped me through things and helped me have an outlet for all my difficulties. I wasn't sure if future books could be as good as I hoped ...and then I read ACOMAF, and I realized that the first book was nothing compared to this one. Review. 

Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman: Illuminae was brilliant and fortunately Gemina completely lived up to all expectations!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer: I went into Cinder, book one, extremely skeptical because nothing about it seemed that interesting to me... and I ended up really enjoying it! I then decided to dive into Scarlet and found it to be a solid addition.

What do you think of these sequels? What are some of your favorites?

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TBR Thursday: Graphic Novel Double Feature - The Wicked + Divine by Kieran Gillen and Aether & Empire by Mike Horan

TBR Thursdays is hosted by Kim @ Kimberly Faye Reads! This feature was created with the intent of spotlighting a title from your shelf that you planning on reading in order to discuss why you want to read it, as well to discuss the book with others! If you'd like to join, feel free to use the banner created by Kimberley (or your own), and stop by her page to participate.

I've got two graphic novels waiting for me on my TBR, so I've decided to feature both of them! Up first is Aether & Empire by Mike Horan, and second is The Wicked + Divine by Kieran GIllen. I'm already a little bit into Aether & Empire, but haven't had a chance to read more yet, so I'm excited to see how the story continues to go. The Wicked + Divine sounds really interesting and I've heard so many split opinions on it, so I can't wait to find out for myself. Read on for synopses!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"At the height of Victoria's reign, a scientific expedition to Mars has vanished and the daring rescue mission is now a race against time and space. When control is wrested from fellow scientists and given to a heroic crew of Her Majesty's Navy, can the two groups work together to save the men of the first voyage? Jules Verne meets Star Trek in Aether & Empire, a tale of adventure, mystery, and terror from Blue Juice Comics! This volume collects Issues 1-6 of the comic book."

Aether & Empire by Mike Horan, Bong Dazo, and Tim Yates
Publication Date: December 6th, 2016
Blue Juice Comics

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

"Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead. The team behind critical tongue-attractors like Young Avengers and PHONOGRAM reunite to create a world where gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods. But remember: just because you’re immortal, doesn’t mean you’re going to live forever."

The Wicked + Divine by Kieran Gillen, Jamie McKelvie (Illustrations), Matt Wilson (Colorist), Clayton Cowles

Publication Date: November 12th, 2014

Image Comics

Are you interested in reading these books? What books are on your TBR?

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Waiting on Wednesday: The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

This week's upcoming book spotlight is:
The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Publication Date: July 25th, 2017

Kensington Publishing
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

From Goodreads:

"From acclaimed author Ellen Marie Wiseman comes a vivid, daring novel about the devastating power of family secrets--beginning in the poignant, lurid world of a Depression-era traveling circus and coming full circle in the transformative 1950s. 

On a summer evening in 1931, Lilly Blackwood glimpses circus lights from the grimy window of her attic bedroom. Lilly isn't allowed to explore the meadows around Blackwood Manor. She's never even ventured beyond her narrow room. Momma insists it's for Lilly's own protection, that people would be afraid if they saw her. But on this unforgettable night, Lilly is taken outside for the first time--and sold to the circus sideshow. 

More than two decades later, nineteen-year-old Julia Blackwood has inherited her parents' estate and horse farm. For Julia, home was an unhappy place full of strict rules and forbidden rooms, and she hopes that returning might erase those painful memories. Instead, she becomes immersed in a mystery involving a hidden attic room and photos of circus scenes featuring a striking young girl. 

At first, The Barlow Brothers' Circus is just another prison for Lilly. But in this rag-tag, sometimes brutal world, Lilly discovers strength, friendship, and a rare affinity for animals. Soon, thanks to elephants Pepper and JoJo and their handler, Cole, Lilly is no longer a sideshow spectacle but the circus's biggest attraction. . .until tragedy and cruelty collide. It will fall to Julia to learn the truth about Lilly's fate and her family's shocking betrayal, and find a way to make Blackwood Manor into a place of healing at last. 

Moving between Julia and Lilly's stories, Ellen Marie Wiseman portrays two extraordinary, very different women in a novel that, while tender and heartbreaking, offers moments of joy and indomitable hope. "

I'm always interested in a good book with a circus theme, and everything about this synopsis sounds intriguing, from being forced to stay in Blackwood Manor to her life with the circus. I'm very interested in this one and can't wait to find out more!

What do you think about this upcoming release? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

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First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday: The Waking Land by Callie Bates

First Chapter Tuesday is hosted every Tuesday by Diane over at Bibiophile by the Sea. Join the fun by making your own post and linking up over at Diane's blog, or simple check it out to find more new books to read!

This week I've chosen to feature The Waking Land by Callie Bates! I was so thrilled when this ARC showed up in the mail because I have been seeing some fantastic things about this book, not to mention how interesting it sounds. Fortunately I am able to share an excerpt of this with you because there is already a a preview of the book up on the Penguin Random House website. So without further ado, I present to you the beginning of the Prologue from The Waking Land.

The Waking Land by Callie Bates

Prologue

"I felt safe that night in Laon, safer than I had any night before in the city. My nurse and I were eating dessert in the nursery. I never knew her name; I called her Nursie. Downstairs my parents were hosting a dinner party. It was the first time I had ever been in Laon, in the townhouse my family kept for state occasions, aired out only once every year or two. On the newly crowned king’s invitation, we’d come south for the Harvest Feast from our country house in the north, and every noise of the city still seemed foreign. So that must have been why we didn’t hear them at first: the screams, the clicks as the muskets caught.

I remember cradling my wooden doll, a Harvest Feast gift from my parents, made by a wood-carver in the city. I was feeding her pretend bites of the caramel pudding the servants had brought up earlier, baked in a dish until the sugar on top was crackling hot. Nursie drew the chintz curtains over the wide, sashed windows. My doll and I sat snug and certain in the glow of candlelight. Safe. We were supposed to go home the next day."

What do you think? Would you keep reading this? (And feel free to join in and make your own post!) 

If you're enticed by this chapter, be sure to check out the full synopsis on Goodreads!

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*Excerpt taken from the novel itself; I do not claim to own any part of the excerpt.

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge. Harry N. Abrams, 2017. Hardcover, 489 pages.

*I received a copy of A Face Like Glass courtesy of NetGalley and Harry N. Abrams in exchange for an honest review.* 

Wow, was this a ride! If you're having Alice in Wonderland withdrawals or you need some major peculiarity and whimsy, then step right up because I've got a book for you. My favorite one-line description of this book comes from Catie's review over at the Readventurer, in which she says "What if Alice grew up down the rabbit hole, and she needed a little white rabbit to lead her…out? " I couldn't summarize it better than that.

A Face Like Glass is darkly magical in all of the best possible ways. The world-building so, so strong and the characters are beautifully quirky and just ever so slightly odd - or rather obviously odd at times.

I hesitate to provide any sort of summary or details regarding the content of this book because half of the fun for me was discovering what was happening in this world, what the norms of living were, and what would happen next. I will, however, mention the setting itself, Caverna, which is a vast underground city in which the characters of this book live. Neverfell, however, has never quite felt that she fit in. The people of Caverna are born without the knowledge of how to shape their faces to express emotions as we normally do, and are thus taught how to mold their faces into specific expression by Facesmiths. The wealthy and privileged have access to many more expressions and Faces than those of the lower classes, such as the Drudges.

Neverfell is one of the most strikingly complex characters that I have read in a while. Her transformation in this book is written expertly and her person development is done in such a subtle, realistic manner that I couldn't help but be captivated by her. I loved how her innocent character was made to come to grips with the reality of the world around her, and I truly appreciated how Hardinge guided Neverfell in such a way that she stayed true to her character.

In fact, all of the characters in this book are fleshed out extremely well. Just when you think you know someone or their personality, you suddenly realize you don't. Faces reveal many things about a person, and somehow a lack of facial expressions also does.

One of the most interesting aspects of this world is the work of craftsmen, who develop Wines that can make you forget certain memories, such as forgetting a memory of a book so that you can re-read it for the first time over and over again, Cheeses that can make you feel wonderful things and literally see stars, and Perfumes that can befuddle the senses of those around you. One of my favorite things in books like this is the sheer attention to detail and the ways in which elements such as those just described are brought to life and so much fun to read (this is also something that I loved about Heartless).

There were so many wonderful themes bouncing around this book, and I feel like there is something for everyone in here. Although this book is marketed for younger readers, I think that there are some darker truths hidden within these words that older readers/adults can also pick out and learn from.

A Face Like Glass is full of adventure, excitements, and plenty of twists along the way. Things seemed to slow ever-so-slightly at about the three-fourths mark, and I worried that the rest of the book was going to continue moving downhill, but fortunately it picked back up as we neared the final portion.

Overall, I've given A Face Like Glass four stars!

Buy the book!

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You might also like:
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Impyrium by Henry H. Neff
Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Hidden Huntress by Danielle Jensen

Month in Review: May 2017

How on earth is it possibly June!? This year is flying by! May was yet another busy month for me and I did not get nearly as much reading done as I'd hoped, but I'm still grateful to have been able to read anything at all. I read some truly beautiful books this month (Miranda and Caliban), so I'm satisfied. I hope to have some great reviews out for you guys next month -- these past few months have been crazy with new releases! How are you guys holding up this year!?

In other news...

- My mom has been and will continue to be dealing with some serious medical issues, so all positive thoughts and vibes are welcome. :)

- Today is also, coincidentally, my birthday! I'm not really into big celebrations or anything so I won't be doing too much, but hopefully I'll be able to convince myself not to work too much... ;)
- ...and I am also graduating this month with my B.A. in Classics! I can't believe the time is finally here, but I'm happy to finally be done -- although I will miss my fellow Greek/Classics classmates and incredible professors.

But enough about that, let's move on to the blog stuff!


Books read: 7

House of Names by Colm Toibin
The Empire's Ghost by Isabelle Steiger
Anne Bonnie: Volume #1 by Tim Yates
Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator by Annette Libeskind Berkovits
Violet Grenade by Victoria Scott
Across the Formidable Sea by Claire Laminen

Memorial Day Reading Recommendations 
Anticipated June 2017 Releases
Book Recommendations: Books Featuring Influential Mothers... Both the Good and the Complicated
Discussion: Does it Matter if a Character is 'Likable'?

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday:
China Dolls by Lisa See
The Empire's Ghost by Isabelle Steiger
The Dragon's Legacy by Deborah A. Wolf


Waiting on Wednesday:




The Five Daughters of the Moon by Leena Likitalo
Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
Soul of the World by David Mealing
The Wages of Sin by Kaite Welsh
Wolf on a String by Benjamin Black

Tell Me Something Tuesday:
How Do You Handle DNF Books?
Do You Comment Altruistically Or With Specific Intent?

TBR Thursday:
Carthage Must be Destroyed by Richard Miles
Yvain: The Knight of the Lion by M. T. Anderson

Book Traveling Thursday: 
A Book With a Red Cover

The Dragon's Legacy by Deborah A. Wolf ★★★★
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★
China Dolls  by Lisa See ★★★
Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey ★★★★★

Have you read any of these? What books did you read this month? Comment below!

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Book Traveling Thursdays: A Book Every Child Should Read!

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This week I thought I'd try out a new book blog meme to give some variety: Book Traveling Thursday!

"Book Traveling Thursdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Catia from The Girl Who Read Too Much and Danielle's Book Blog. The idea of this group is check out the list of weekly themes for each month in this meme's Goodreads page and simply pick a book to match the theme! Once you've found a book, explore different covers of various editions for that book and make a post about it.  To find out more, you can check out our Goodreads group!

This week's theme is a children's book that you think every child should read, in honor of today being Children's Day! For this pick, I chose one of my favorites:

The Giving Tree by Shel Siilverstein

Original Cover Design:

 

Other editions:

Top Row: Indonesian, Bengali
Middle Row: Russian, Farsi
Bottom Row:  Persian 

Growing up, I never even considered that there were other cover editions for this book, and I had a lot of fun discovering some of these! I was really intrigued by how inventive they all are, although I think I'll have to stick to the US edition that I grew up with.

What do you think of these covers? Do you have a favorite? Do you have a children's book cover? Let me know!

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